A Hunter Lost
by NobodySpecial123
Summary: A Turner and Shawn fic. This is my first story. Open to ideas on where it will go. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1 - The Beginnings

**Hey Everyone! This is my first story ever - so please be nice! :)**

 **I just want to get a bit of feedback before I decide how long to make this story. If people are interested, I'll keep writing and adding on a bunch more. Just to let everyone know, this story losely follows the timeline in BMW but not 100%. So at times it's a bit A/U. I know Shawn wasn't physically abused in the show but in my story he was. So I'm definitely taking some creative liberties. Let me know if you have ideas on where you want the story to go. Thanks for any feedback!**

Chapter 1 - The Beginnings

Mr. Turner had known there were problems with Shawn Hunter's family life since a year and a half ago when he handed in a homework assignment in the form of a poem entitled "Welfare". The class laughed when he had read it out loud and Jon even had to admit to himself that he was a bit amused by the whole thing at the time. Regardless, he couldn't shake the feeling that, in his own emotionally guarded, class-clown way, it was Shawn's version of trying to reach out for help. Looking back, Jon didn't fully realize it at the time. It wasn't really until a couple months later that he started noticing the signs, but he credited the poem as the reason he kept a closer eye on Shawn in the first place. He might not have noticed otherwise.

The first thing he noticed were the bruises. It wasn't an every day thing but Jon kept a mental record of the times he saw a new mark appear. He first started noticing them on Shawn's arms and wrists but never enough to make a case. "Jeeze kid, what's going on at home?" He would ask himself, every time he would see a new one. He also wore long sleeves a lot, sometimes on really warm days. Jon couldn't help but wonder if it was because he was trying to hide more serious bruises on days like those. It wasn't hard to notice the kid's rotation of the same 3 or 4 shirts and he always wore the same jeans. Living in a trailer park, Jon didn't expect the Hunter's to have much, but it seemed like all of Shawn's clothes were ragged, worn out and from the year before.

Of course there were other signs like the acting out in class. Mr. Turner always held the belief that the class clowns were more often than not, the students who were in need of the most attention, because they were lacking it in other areas of their lives. There were always exceptions - like Cory - but Jon knew he was feeding off of Shawn. Shawn was a prime example of that and Jon knew it was stemming from the same dark place as the bruises. Jon got pretty good at the positive reinforcement thing. He saw Shawn's eyes light up whenever Jon would shut down his outburst with a funny retort back to him, followed by a playful "Now keep your mouth shut when I'm trying to teach my class." When that happened Jon thought "This kid just wants to make sure someone realizes he's there." Which only added to Jon's concern over his dead beat parents.

He also fell asleep quite often in English and while it aggravated Jon that Shawn wasn't learning the material during those times, he couldn't help but let him snooze once in a rare while. It wasn't that Shawn was making good enough grades to be able to afford to tune Turner out...on the contrary...he was barely passing. Still, Jon had to admit to himself that somewhere deep down, he was proud of the fact that Shawn felt comfortable enough within the safe walls of his classroom to sleep so peacefully. He obviously couldn't find that peace at home. For some reason that he couldn't quite put his finger on, Jon found a peace in knowing that Shawn trusted him, at least to that extent.

It wasn't until a few days before Career Day, when Shawn came in with a black eye that Turner sat him down for a talk. Of course Shawn had denied everything and Jon expected him to. "What's going on at home?", "Is there anything you want to tell me?", "Do you need help, Shawn?" Those were scary questions for a kid to be confronted with - especially a kid that was being abused and didn't know who he could trust. Shawn just sat there slumped in his chair, staring at his desk and picking at a splinter of wood that was hanging off the side of it. Jon let him go after about 20 minutes of questioning without Shawn so much as admitting to a single scratch being the responsibility of his parents. Jon did, however, make sure Shawn heard him loud and clear when he told him " If you need anything, come to me day or night, Shawn." He also vowed to himself that he wasn't going to let this go much further.

As it turned out, the situation remedied itself almost due to fate. It was only a few days later that Shawn found himself at Mr. Turner's door after his parent's took off. After that night, Jon had taken him in and he had been with him for the last year. He never pursued looking into Shawn's parents or filing abuse charges. He reasoned with himself that Shawn was safe now and he never did get Shawn to admit they were guilty. Jon also knew that it would upset Shawn - and they had a pretty good thing going. He hadn't wanted to stir the pot and mess that relationship up. Shawn was healthy, clean and doing a little better in school under the circumstances.

That was, until, Chet came back last week. He rolled his trailer into town, ripped through Jon's apartment door and proclaimed "Hey teach! Yer lightbulb is out in the hallway. Actually I broke it with my fishin' pole, but either way. Yer neighbor across the hall, Miss Dubchek heard the commotion and tried to lure me into her apartment with some cookies. I almost obliged but then I remembered I'm here to pick up my boy." Shawn hugged his dad and stared wide eyed with his jaw dropped. Shawn went back to the trailer with Chet the very same day he showed up. Jon tried to quietly reason with Shawn that maybe it wasn't the best place, but it was useless. Jon convinced himself that it was because all Shawn ever wanted was to be normal - at least that's what he told him. And after Chet's sob story about how he had changed and was committed to being the best dad he could be, Jon knew he didn't stand a chance. John reluctantly let him go. "I'll see you in class on Monday," he said as he squeezed Shawn's shoulder and watched as the boy he cared so much about walked out the door.

As Shawn unpacked his things into the trailer, he thought to himself, "If I had it my way, I would stay with Jon and just visit with my dad regularly." He quickly shut the thought out of his mind. The truth was, he loved living with Jon...and he was scared of his dad. He loved him - I mean, he was his dad - but he couldn't convince himself that he had changed. Shawn was terrified that the beatings would start again. No matter how much he wanted to scream for Jon to help, he couldn't continue to burden him. He wouldn't. He also couldn't let Jon see his fear. If he sensed it, he would never let him go, and then Shawn would know he screwed up Jon's life. He couldn't bear that thought. Jon had done so much for him - the least he could do was give him his life back.

He does seem different - nicer." Shawn thought. "Maybe my dad really has changed, I mean, he did make me dinner tonight which is more than I could say for him before he left." It was true. Chet had made him mac cheese after he asked Shawn what his favorite meal was. Shawn couldn't remember the last time that happened with Chet. "Yeah...maybe he's changed now," he thought...and then he climbed into bed, which was really just a poor excuse for a couch, and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Darkness

Something inside of Shawn was bubbling with hope that everything with his dad would be different now. Morning broke on Sunday and Shawn woke to the sound of his trailer park neighbors screaming over some domestic dispute involving bacon. A spring was poking into his back from one of the couch cushions and he was exhausted from the presence of a mosquito that had been buzzing around his ear and landing on his nose all night. None of that bothered him too much because something about this particular morning was very very different. Every other morning in the trailer began the same...with Shawn being stirred awake to the sound of a beer can being tossed into the garbage and another being cracked open. Today was different. Chet was nowhere to be found and Shawn didn't know whether to be excited about the fact that he wasn't sitting there drinking or concerned about where he was... but at least he wasn't yelling at Shawn to wake up and fetch him another cold one.

Shawn got up, brushed his teeth, showered (in cold water) and checked in the fridge to see if there was anything in there that could be cooked up into something that resembled breakfast. No such luck. Some things never change, he thought. Just then, the trailer door opened and Chet emerged, carrying two plastic bags full of groceries. "I just walked down to that store on the corner to pick up some breakfast foods for the two of us. I thought, it's such a beautiful day, I should take a stroll." Shawn was flabbergasted. He watched as Chet unloaded eggs, sausage, bacon, pancake mix and orange juice. "Alright dad." Shawn whispered under his breath. _Everything really is different now_ , he thought while he smiled to himself. _I think he's really changed_. Shawn and Chet whipped up some breakfast together and then decided to watch some TV.

Shawn wondered if Chet would go all day without a beer, he had never seen him sober since...well...maybe ever. He started to get really hopeful. _People can change_ , he thought internally. He sat next to his dad and for an hour, he felt normal. Of course, he meant normal if he ignored the fact that he lived in a trailer park, didn't have a bed and had a mom that ran away. Even still, he felt normal. "He's a new man, I can feel it," he kept repeating inside his mind. After about an hour or so, Shawn remembered that he had a lot to get done before school tomorrow. "Hey dad, I know you just got back and all, but do you mind if I go stop by Cory's? I'm supposed to team up with him to write a paper that's due tomorrow. It should only take a couple hours." Shawn explained. "Sure thing boy," Chet answered. "Besides, I've got the rest of my life to spend time with ya," he finished. Shawn threw on his shoes and headed out the door smiling.

Cory was sitting at the kitchen table when he arrived. "Shawn! Are you ready? You'd be surprised, I've got this whole paper planned out. I found one of Eric's old papers on The Grapes of Wrath, so all we have to do is re-write the entire thing to make sure it actually sounds like we read the book and we'll be all set. "Actually," Shawn interjected, "I DID read the book, Turner made me. The downfall of living with a teacher...which I'm not doing anymore, by the way." Cory looked shocked. "Your dad is back?!" he shouted. "Yup," Shawn answered. "And the best part is..." he began to speak as Eric interrupted,"Hunterrr what a big surprise...NOT," Eric teased as he strolled into the kitchen. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat but I've got a hot date tonight with a cheerleader. Not that you two insignificant squirts would know anything about that," he poked at Cory and Shawn. "See ya weasel," he turned and said to Morgan, who was sitting on the counter before he ran out the door. Shawn continued, "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, my dad is back and I'm back at the trailer. The best part is that I think he'll really stay this time. He seems happier." Shawn explained. He couldn't tell him that what he was really excited about was the fact that his dad seemed sober. Cory didn't know about the abuse so he had to make sure it stayed that way forever. "Shawn, that's amazing!" Cory responded.

The boys finished up their paper just before dinner and Mrs. Matthews invited Shawn to stay and eat with them. "No thanks," he said, "My dad's back and he's probably cooking dinner now, so I should get back." Shawn grabbed the boys' paper. "I'll bring it in with me tomorrow, Cor," he shouted over the family's chatter before he walked out the door and headed back to the trailer park. Shawn spent the whole walk home imagining what his evening with his dad would look like. He'll probably have dinner ready when I get back, just like he cooked food this morning. Maybe we'll play a board game or stay up talking afterwards about everything that happened while he was gone. Shawn was hopeful. He was so ready for this normal life. Hopeful, that was, until he approached the trailer and saw a couple beer cans littering the entryway to the trailer. "Maybe he has company," Shawn convinced himself. He pressed his ear to the side of the trailer. He didn't hear any voices and he didn't know who his dad would have over. What he did hear, however, was the sound of an empty can clinking another can as it was tossed into the garbage and the sound of a fresh beer being cracked open. Shawn hated that sound. It was burned into his brain. Nothing good ever followed that sound...at least not in the past. "He's different now," Shawn reminded himself. "A beer or two won't hurt anybody."He tried to soothe himself with the thought as he walked inside.

Upon entering, his worst fear was confirmed. How could he rationalize to himself that 15 empty cans strewn across the inside of the trailer was normal? His couch was covered with at least 5 of them and he couldn't walk through the space without wading through another 6 or 7 of them on the floor. He tossed his paper down on the table as he kicked them out of the way. He cleared his throat and approached the bedroom where he assumed he would find his father. Before he approached the door, Chet came bolting out of the room with such force that Shawn jumped back. "Boy where the hell have you been?! You know better than to stay out this long!" he came at Shawn. "Dad, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. We were just working on our paper," He explained as he raised his hands up in a forfeiting motion. "Don't talk back to me boy!" Chet boomed. "You think you're better than me now that you lived the good life for a year in a fancy apartment? You think you can talk back to me now?" He quickly unbuckled his belt and slid it out of his pant loops. "Please dad! No! I love you dad! Please don't do anything to mess this up!" Shawn pleaded. "Shut your mouth or I'll wash it out with soap after I'm done beatin' your ass, boy!" Chet shouted. Shawn crouched down on the floor with his knees to his chest and his head tucked while Chet repeatedly struck his back with his belt. Shawn could feel every hope he had for his dad being a new man slip away with each lash of the belt. Each new welt that formed was another confirmation of how wrong he had been to believe that his dad was anything but what he had always been. After about 10 whips, Chet grabbed Shawn by the wrists and pulled him to his feet with force. "Now pick up the trailer and get to bed!" Chet shouted. "I didn't eat dinner yet," Shawn replied. He immediately regretted saying it, but he reasoned with himself that he must have forgot that it was an inappropriate reply because he had spent too much time with Mr. Turner. Saying something like that would have been ok with Jon. "Stupid, stupid Shawn. Just shut up!" he scolded himself internally. Chet grabbed him by the front of his shirt and threw him against the wall. His head hit a window frame and put a gash under his right eyebrow. Shawn put his hand to the gash and pulled it away as he watched blood trickle down his fingers. He looked into Chet's eyes and saw a shell of a human. Chet stumbled towards his room trying to regain balance and slammed the door. Shawn just stood there with all his hopes for his father quickly fading. He quickly tossed the cans into the trash, wiped down the counters and curled up in the fetal position on the couch. His only blanket was in his father's room and he wasn't about to go get it. He went without it and tossed and turned most of the night. Sleeping was pointless. His back and wrists hurt so bad and he was too upset and too busy thinking about how to explain the gash on his face at school the next day. Maybe he should just play hooky and not go. "No, Jon would get suspicious," he thought. Maybe nobody would notice the gash. It wasn't that bad after he washed the blood off. The rest of his body was another story.

He woke to the hiss of another can being cracked open early the next morning and he knew his dad was still drunk. He could smell the smoke of his dad's cigarette coming through the trailer window. It tickled his nose in the most disgusting way as though it was taunting him. "How could he?" Shawn thought. "How could he do this? I've only been back with him for less than two days. TWO DAYS! I must be more of a burden than I even thought." Shawn reasoned. He knew that it wasn't normal for his dad to be drinking that much, but he also thought that maybe the reason he drank was his fault. He turned his face toward the back of the couch and pressed his eyes closed so that Chet would think he was still sleeping. He listened while Chet came back into the trailer, distinguished his cigarette, grabbed another beer and went back into his room. Shawn quietly got dressed, grabbed his backpack and rushed out the door. It hadn't been a couple minutes when he realized he had forgotten the Grapes of Wrath paper on the table. "Shit!" He exclaimed. He turned around and ran back, stopping just short of the trailer door. "Please God let him be in his room still," he thought. He walked in quietly and spotted the paper...in Chet's hands. He was standing by the counter thumbing through it. "Looking for this, boy?" he asked. "Um, ya, I just forgot it." he said hesitantly. Chet tossed him the paper. Shawn looked down on it and saw that there was a cigarette hole burnt through the title. He swallowed hard while he searched for what to say. "Is there a problem?" Chet instigated. "No. No problem, dad," Shawn answered. "Good, now get to school and don't let me see you coming home late again!" he said. Shawn turned towards the door and began walking once again. "Shit." he thought. "I don't have time to re-copy this. How am I going to explain this one?"


	3. Chapter 3 - The Fear

**Woohoo another chapter! I have been having a lot of fun writing this story. I want to thank everyone for the kind reviews! I'm so happy other people are enjoying it. Keep reviewing!**

Shawn was at a loss about what to do, and not just about the paper. If his dad hadn't changed by now, Shawn knew he wasn't going to. So much for hoping. Either way, there wasn't much Shawn could do about it besides get used to it and try to stay out of his way. It wasn't like he was going to tell anyone about it. He still felt the same way about inconveniencing Mr. Turner and he couldn't tell the Mr. Feeny or the Matthews without them making a huge scene and getting everyone involved. If that happened, everyone in school would know that he was his dad's punching bag by the next day. People would treat him weird or think he was weak and pitiful. Cory had too big a conscience so he knew if he told him, it would eventually get to Topanga and then the adults. It was best to just stay quiet and learn to live with it. _Bury it_ , he thought to himself, _just like you buried all the times before._

As far as the paper was concerned, Shawn was in a pickle. Normally he would just tell a teacher that he left it at home or that his dog ate it or something, but this time he would be letting Cory down too. He tried to think of a way to hide the cigarette mark but it was right there through part of the title and a word or two in the first paragraph. Turner would obviously ask about it. He could try to recopy it in homeroom but Mr. Turner was his homeroom teacher and Cory sat right in front of him. _I really don't have any other choice_ , he thought. He decided to try to recopy it in homeroom and if he didn't finish it in time, he would just tell Mr. Turner that they did it but he forgot it at home.

Shawn headed to his locker and started unpacking his books one by one. "Hey!" Cory yelled over his shoulder in his right ear. Shawn jumped! "Dude what the hell? You freaked me out," Shawn said startled. "Sorry," Cory responded as Shawn turned towards him. "Shawn what happened to your eye?" Cory asked alarmed. "Oh, it's the funniest thing, I was walking back from your house and I was reading our paper and not paying attention to where I was going. I walked straight into a stop sign," Shawn replied. He was pretty good at making up stories on the spot to fit his needs, but that didn't mean he wasn't tired of having to. "Hey you two, we're going to be late for homeroom," Topanga reprimanded as she walked by. They followed behind her, entered the classroom and sat in their usual seats.

"Ok, is everyone here? If so, I'll start the announcements..." Mr. Turner said. Before he could continue, Mr. Feeny appeared in the doorway. "Mr. Turner, may I have a word with you?" "Sure, George," Turner replied. Shawn covered his paper while Turner walked by his desk and out into the hall. Shawn could hear Mr. Feeny's voice out in the hallway. Something about the ski club needing a teacher adviser to plan their annual trip for the coming winter. Shawn was happy that they had left the room because it gave him more time to copy his paper without having to look up to see if Turner was looking his way. He heard Feeny ask Mr. Turner if he'd be up for the job, but didn't hear Mr. Turner answer so he assumed they were still out there chatting. Shawn was copying his paper feverishly while Cory flirted with Topanga when all of a sudden Shawn heard a booming voice over his shoulder that made him jump. "You been smoking, Hunter?" It was Jon. "Huh?...Uh...what?" Shawn anxiously replied. "Your paper...looks like someone put a cigarette out right over the title..." he pointed to the paper as though Shawn couldn't see the gaping burn mark on the page. "Oh...ya...I mean no, I haven't been smoking. It was Eddy's." Shawn offered. "Eddy's? I thought Eddy took off months ago." Turner replied. "Uh...yeah...well, I thought so too, but he was at the trailer last night. He and his friends were drinking and stuff and he must have put his cigarette out on my paper because it was like that when I woke up," Shawn tried. "Well, don't worry about recopying it. Just hand it in." said Turner as he walked to the front of the classroom to start announcements.

All through homeroom announcements Shawn noticed Mr. Turner glancing over at him. He knew what was coming. He could tell Turner was noticing the gash on his eye and he was already suspicious about the paper. Shawn had been through this before. _He's going to ask me to stay after as soon as he's finished with the announcements,_ he thought. Shawn couldn't handle all the questioning that would come with that. He was so tired of the questions, tired of having to create lies on the spot. _Time to bail,_ he thought. "Hey Cor, I'm not feeling so well. Just tell Turner I got sick. Here's the paper for English class," he said. "Uh...ok...," Cory replied. Shawn raised his hand. "Yes, Hunter?" Mr Turner questioned. "I have to go to the bathroom," he said. "Yeah, okay, go quickly," was Jon's reply. With that Shawn bolted out of the room and headed straight for the exit.

He saw Harley Keiner and his lackeys smoking in the parking lot and cutting class so he quickly turned and ran the other way. The last thing he needed was to be spotted by those guys and fall victim to whatever torture they felt like inflicting that day. They usually left him alone these days for the most part, but there were no smaller students around for them to pound so he steered clear. Shawn took off down the street without a clear destination in mind. It wasn't until after he took off that he realized he had no place to go really. He knew he would eventually have to go back to the trailer park if he wanted to avoid a beating, but he still had 5 or 6 hours to kill. He kicked around the park for a little bit and then got bored.

He instinctively headed towards the Matthews. He was hungry and they always told him he didn't have to ask if he was hungry. Of course, that was when they were all home but he figured the rules still applied if he was the only one in the house. He couldn't go to Chubbie's because he could get in trouble for not being in school. The cops were always hanging out around there during lunch. Besides, it wasn't like he had any money. Shawn walked down the Matthew's driveway and observed Mr. Feeny's garden. It must be nice to have such a "normal" life with a white picket fence and a picture perfect house, he thought to himself, _Even if he does live alone._ He climbed up the tree in the Matthew's side yard and into Cory's bedroom window, which was basically always open for him. He ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out a juice box and some leftover mac  & cheese. _The Matthews always have the best food_ , he thought. He ate and then made sure everything was left as though he was never there. He headed upstairs and browsed through Cory's baseball cards like he had done a thousand times before. _He has the best cards_ , he thought. He put the box of cards away and flopped down on Cory's bed. He lay there with his hands behind his head staring up at the ceiling. He imagined that this was his room and that he had a family like Cory had. Someone to tuck him in at night in an actual bed and make sure he had a bagged lunch to bring to school...like Jon did. _Stop thinking like that_ , he thought. _Stop whining_. He closed his eyes tight to choke back any emotion, curled up in a ball and fell asleep.

* * *

Back at school, English class was ending. Cory had passed in the paper and when Mr. Turner had asked him where Shawn went, he told him he had gotten sick and had to go home. He wasn't sure if Turner bought the excuse...all he knew was that he didn't buy it himself. Cory knew something was up, and not just because of the bruised eye and the cigarette burn. He kept thinking about how spooked Shawn had gotten when he said hello that morning. It wasn't like him. He was all jumpy and kept making up dodgy stories.

* * *

Shawn was stirred awake by the sound of Mrs. Matthews and Morgan walking into the kitchen. Morgan was yelling about how Shelly Figus' mommy bought her a new Barbie doll and asking if she could get the same one. "Shit!" Shawn whispered to himself. He looked at Cory's alarm clock, 4:00 pm. _It's four! How can it be four?_ Shawn remembered that Cory was going to Topanga's after school and Eric had a date. Mr. Matthew's didn't get home until around 5:00. _Dad's gonna kill me!_ He jumped out of the window and lowered himself down the tree, branch by branch until he hit the ground. He took off running toward the Pink Flamingo Trailer Park.

Shawn knew there was no use in stalling once he got to the trailer. He was going to have to go in eventually and he figured the longer he waited, the worse the repercussions would be. He approached the trailer and saw that his dad and Uncle Mike were drinking in their lawn chairs outside the trailer. Shawn wished that Uncle Mike being there would mean he was somehow protected but he knew that wasn't the case. There was nothing his dad wouldn't do to him in front of Uncle Mike. His Uncle was the kind of guy that stayed out of the family's business. However Chet wanted to run his home was of no concern to Uncle Mike. He would turn a blind eye. Chet gave Shawn a scowl as he walked past the two men and into the trailer. "Excuse me for a minute, Mike," Chet said as Uncle Mike nodded. Chet came inside the trailer. He was saturated in alcohol. Shawn could smell his breath from across the room. "Dad, I got tied up at school. I lost track of time," Shawn tried. "Rules are rules boy. When are you gonna get it through your thick skull?" Chet yelled as he got up in Shawn's face. He took another swig of his beer and threw the bottle on the floor as it shattered. "Get me another beer." Chet commanded as he stood right next to the refrigerator. "Dad...don't you think you've had enough?" Shawn asked hesitantly as he put both of his hands on the counter and shrugged his shoulders. In one fell swoop Chet opened the refrigerator door, grabbed a full bottle of beer closed the door and swung the bottle with as much force as he could, slamming it against Shawn's outstretched arm. As it made contact, Shawn could clearly hear the bone in his lower arm crack as he collapsed on the floor grabbing it. Shawn gritted his teeth in pain as he curled his knees underneath him. "Damn it! You broke my arm, dad!" Shawn shouted. He couldn't help it. He knew he should shut up but he had anger coming over him in waves. "Good," said Chet, "Maybe now you'll listen to me when I tell you something," he said as he walked back outside with his fresh beer and closed the trailer door. Shawn sat on the floor for what seemed like forever amidst the broken pieces of glass, some of which had cut his hands and knees when he fell. He stared blankly at the wall and allowed reality to sink in. _This is my life. This is my dad. This is my future._

* * *

Jon exhaled loudly as he walked into his apartment and closed his door. He tossed his keys onto the coffee table and collapsed into the couch. It had been a long day and he had a ton of papers to grade before he could call it a night. _Leftover pasta it is_ , he thought to himself as he remembered the pasta primavera he had in the fridge from the night before. He heated up a bowl in the microwave and brought it back to the couch while he started in on the Grapes of Wrath papers. He graded two or three before he got to Shawn and Cory's. Jon stared at the cigarette burn for a moment thinking before he shook his head and started in on the paper. The quality of writing wasn't the greatest but Jon knew that Shawn had read the book and he was proud of him for that. They seemed to have a decent grasp of what was going on in the story but one part in particular grabbed Jon. Within the paper, they included a quote from the book that said, "They's times when how you feel got to be kep' to yourself." Jon kept scanning the line with his eyes over and over. He stopped reading. He couldn't shake the feeling that there were things Shawn was keeping to himself. After living with Shawn for a year, he knew a thing or two about the way the kid operated. He wasn't a talker when it came to his deepest emotions. _Something's not right and I'll never forgive myself if I don't get to the bottom of it, no matter how much Shawn hates me for it,_ he thought. He decided he would confront Shawn at school the next day and figure out what was really going on. He figured if he didn't show up at school he would head to the trailer afterwards. He finished up grading the papers, cleaned up and got ready for bed.

* * *

Shawn laid down on the couch completely defeated. He knew his arm was broken and his head was pounding from the stench of cigarettes wafting through the open trailer door and the sound of his dad and uncle laughing like nothing had happened. Dozing off, he sang the lyrics in his head from one of his favorite Counting Crows songs, ' _Round here we're never sent to bed early and nobody makes us wait, 'Round here we stay up very very very very late_. He blacked out. He woke up to a loud crash of thunder about half an hour later. He looked at the clock, 2am. _Sleeping children better run like the wind out of the lightning dream..._ it played over and over in his mind. Something seemed to click in that moment. _I gotta get out of here tonight,_ he thought. _He's gonna kill me if I don't. SHIT. Choke back the tears, you baby. Don't cry. Just run._

He took off out the trailer door and into the pouring rain amidst a huge crash of thunder. He wasn't afraid, though. Nothing was scarier to him than his dad's wrath and he was finally going to make sure he didn't have to go through it anymore, at least for a night or two. His dad and uncle weren't out there anymore, so he figured the rain must have forced them inside and that his dad must have passed out just before Shawn woke up. He ran until he reached the park and plopped down on a bench. He sat there drenched and getting wetter and colder as the minutes passed. _Maybe I can just sleep here,_ he thought. _At least I won't get beaten_. He lay down on the bench in a curled up ball. His arm was sending shooting waves of pain through his body and his teeth were chattering. All of a sudden he heard a voice, "Hey kid! You don't want to be here." Shawn looked up to see an older man hovering over him. He looked about 70 but was probably a lot younger. He was just really dirty and not well kept. He had missing teeth, yellowish cloudy eyes and dirt all over his face. He was leaning on a shopping cart that was filled with odds and ends. Shawn sat up and looked him in the eye as he began speaking again. "This park is no place for kids in the middle of the night. Trust me kid, go home." He warned, and then wandered off. _Home? Where's home?_ Shawn thought. _I walk in the air between the rain, Through myself and back again. Where? I don't know._ the song continued to play in his head. He looked around. There was nobody else in sight but he was sufficiently freaked out. It was pitch black, cold and rainy. _I'll never be able to sleep out here after what Creepy McCreeperson said_ , he thought. He wanted to go to Cory's but Jon's was closer and he knew he was injured. The Matthew's will wake up the whole house to try to drag me to the hospital and make a big fuss. _It's either Jon's or back to the trailer_ , he admitted to himself. He took off towards the apartment. He ran through the doors, hopped the elevator up to the fifth story ran down the hall to Jon's door and started banging. "Jon! Jon, wake up!" _He's going to hate me,_ he thought _. Why am I always inconveniencing this guy?_


	4. Chapter 4 - The Fallout

"Who the hell? It's two o'clock in the morning." Shawn could hear Jon say to himself from behind the door as he heard footsteps approach. "Who's there?" he yelled. "It's me. It's Shawn." he replied. "Hunter? I'm coming!" he heard as Jon unlocked and unbolted the door. It swung open a moment later. Jon gazed upon the disheveled kid. He was soaking wet, covered in dirt and mud and was clutching his arm. "Hunter! What happened to you? Come inside." he demanded. He closed the door behind them and waited for a response. "I don't really want to talk about it. Sorry I woke you up. I just need a place to sleep okay?"

Jon sighed. "What's wrong with your arm?" He asked as he inspected it.

"I think I broke it."

"How?" asked Mr. Turner.

"Look, I never wanted to come to you like this, but I need your help." Shawn said.

"Whoa, whoa, Hunter. I don't know what's going on with you but let's start with the truth. I can't help you if you're continually lying to me. I need the whole story...on the way to the hospital." he said.

"I don't think so, Jon. Look, I'll tell you the truth but I don't do hospitals." he replied.

"Hunter. You don't have any other choice, do you?" Jon said sternly. Shawn sighed. "Fine but can I at least shower and sleep first? I've had a really rough night."

Jon stood there with his hands on his hips. He thought about it for a moment. He knew he wouldn't get the truth out of Shawn by forcing him to do things he didn't want to. "Yeah, fine okay, we'll go first thing in the morning. Go shower. There's fresh towels in the closet and then come back out here and I'll clean that cut on your hand."

Shawn looked down. He hadn't even realized the palm of his other hand was still dripping blood from where the glass had cut him. "It's not very deep, but okay." Shawn said. He realized at that moment how shocked Jon would be once he saw the rest of the marks on his body. He knew he would be exposed the next morning and then Jon would know everything, but what other option did he have? He could keep lying but that had only gotten him into the situation he was in now. Jon was right. If he wanted his help he would have to start trusting him with the truth. He headed into the bathroom, showered, got changed into one of Jon's white t-shirts and a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants he had left at the apartment accidentally. He still had a toothbrush there and was surprised to see that Jon hadn't thrown it away yet. _Maybe I'm not the only one who was having a hard time adjusting after all_ , he thought. He always saw himself as a burden, but maybe Jon really didn't. Maybe he was wrong about that the whole time. He came back out to the couch and Jon dressed his cut with some Neosporin and a large band-aid. He gave him some Tylenol and a bag of ice for his arm and sent him to bed.

"I'll wake you up in a few hours so we can head to the hospital. I'll let Feeny know we won't be in tomorrow. Try to keep your arm still and try to get some sleep, buddy." Turner said as he flicked the light off in Shawn's old bedroom. Shawn was exhausted, but relieved to be back in his old room with it's familiar smell and his same old blanket and comfy pillow. _You catch me if i'm falling, you catch me if i'm falling, will you catch me because i'm falling down on you,_ the lyrics finally finished playing in his head as he dozed off into a deep sleep.

It didn't feel like 10 minutes before he was being stirred awake by a voice telling him it was time to get up. Shawn sat straight up in a panic at the sound of the voice. "Shawn, it's just me." Jon said. "Did I scare you?" Shawn looked around the room while the pain settled into his arm and he clutched it again. Jon sat on the side of the bed. "You want to tell me what's going on now?" Jon asked. Shawn sighed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "I guess I have to. You're going to find out anyway. My dad's been beating on me since he took me back. Last night it got too intense, so I bailed," Shawn summarized. "Your dad did this to your arm? The mark over your eye yesterday and the cigarette burn, that was your dad too, wasn't it?" Jon asked. Shawn jumped out of bed. "Um, yeah. So there's the truth. Can we go now?" he asked. "Mother fu..." Jon stopped himself and took a breath before he continued. "I'm proud of you for coming here Shawn."

Shawn filled him in on the rest of the details in the car. Jon noticed how emotionally detached Shawn was while sharing it all. It was like he was sharing details with him about someone else's life...someone he had never met. He was very matter of fact with the details. He shared everything, the drinking, the beatings with the belt, the beer bottle hitting him, the insults, everything. No tears though. Not a single tear. _One thing at a time_ , Jon thought to himself. _At least I'm getting the truth out of him now and he's getting medical attention_. _We can deal with the rest later._

Telling Jon the truth was one thing, showing him was another thing entirely. He had never had to be so vulnerably exposed because he had never put himself in that position before. So, when the doctor asked Shawn to take his t-shirt off so that he could examine his injuries, Shawn hesitated. "It's okay, Shawn" Jon encouraged. "Do you want me to wait outside?" he asked him. "No, it's fine," Shawn played it off coolly. Inside he was terrified but he gently removed his injured arm from one sleeve and then whipped the shirt off over his head. Shawn could hear Jon gasp from behind him as the doctor examined the gashes on his back. His gasp cut through Shawn like another whip of the belt. He hated being pitied. It made him feel weak. "I shouldn't have let him take you," Turner said under his breath. Shawn gritted his teeth and set his jaw so he wouldn't cry. _Don't you dare cry_ , he reprimanded himself internally as the doctor dressed his wounds.

While Jon was waiting for him to come back from his x-ray, a nurse came in and told him the cops had arrived for questioning. He told her to send them in. Jon filled the police officer in on most of the details Shawn had shared with him. The officer thanked him and told him they were issuing a warrant for Chet's arrest and they hoped to have him in custody before the day's end. "I still have to talk to the boy," the officer informed him. Jon wasn't sure how Shawn would react but he knew it was unavoidable. Shawn returned a few minutes later and stopped short of the doorway when he saw the cop.

Jon hurried into the hallway to meet him. "It's alright, Hunter. He just needs to ask you a few questions about your dad." Jon said. "Jon I can't." he responded. "Why? There's nothing to be afraid of, he's just a cop...just one guy. He's here to help you." Jon said. "They're just gonna make things worse... He'll kill me, Jon." Shawn said finally, looking up at his only protector. "Shawn, they're going to make sure that he can't do this ever again. As long as he's out there, you're in danger. If you give them the information they need, you won't have to go through that anymore." Jon stood behind Shawn and put his hands on his shoulders, nudging him into the room. Shawn finally answered a few questions about what had happened and his dad's whereabouts and the policeman left after thanking them.

After what seemed like an unnecessarily long wait, the doctor came back in and informed them that Shawn's arm was in fact broken. The swelling had gone down since Shawn had put ice on it all night, so the doctor set it in a cast; a blue one at Shawn's request. They left the hospital and headed back to the apartment. "That police officer said they would call once they have your dad in custody," Jon said as they walked into the apartment.

The remainder of the day was spent catching up on school work that was missed that day. As Jon started preparing dinner he joked with Shawn, who was sitting on the couch. "Hey, chicken-a-la-Tang, your favorite!" Shawn gave a smirk that lingered on his face for a minute. "There it is!" responded Jon. "You should do more of that," Turner offered while he pointed. "What, homework?" asked Shawn. "No, smiling." answered Jon. "Although more homework wouldn't kill you either." he said with a smile. It felt good to be back in the apartment that had provided him a safe haven for so long. There was another part of him that still couldn't relax though. He knew his dad was still out there and that it wouldn't take long for him to figure out where he was. He glanced at the locked and bolted door and wondered if it would keep an angry Chet Hunter out if he decided he was coming for Shawn. He bounced back and forth from feeling like he would be happy once his dad was in custody to thinking that he would feel an extreme amount of guilt...like a failure of a son. After all, even with everything that had happened, Chet was still his dad and the thought that maybe Shawn deserved the treatment he received had crossed his mind once or twice.

After dinner, Eli came over and Shawn half watched an episode of Roseanne while Jon and Eli talked quietly in the kitchen about everything that was going on. "I know you're talking about me." Shawn said a few minutes into their conversation. "Don't flatter yourself," said Eli jokingly, "We're talking about our hot dates for prom," he continued. Jon chuckled.

"I know your not big on bed times, but it's been a long day and we've got school tomorrow." Jon said as soon as the Roseanne episode finished. After Shawn had brushed his teeth and got into bed, Jon went to turn the light off. "Goodnight, bud." he said. "Should we lock the window?" was Shawn's reply. It broke Jon's heart. He couldn't imagine being a young kid and living in so much fear that his last thought before falling asleep was whether or not his father would climb through his window and hurt him. "There's nothing to worry about, Hunter. I'll lock it, but we're 5 stories up and the police are out looking for your dad. They'll find him. Now get some sleep." said Jon as he locked the window, flicked the light off and went to bed.

Morning broke and the two had some breakfast and headed to school. Everyone was asking Shawn about his arm and he made up some ridiculous stories. His favorite was the one he told to Minkus about fighting off a german shepherd/werewolf hybrid in the dark during a walk home from Chubbie's. He knew he didn't believe him, but the story served its purpose. He filled Cory in about being back at Mr. Turner's but didn't go into the details. He wasn't sure how to talk about it, really.

Jon had a hard time wrangling his classes all day because a lot of his students were excited for a big party at Veronica Watson's house later that evening. Shawn and Cory informed him after English class that they had every intention of being there and Jon actually thought it would be good for him to have some normal kid time with his peers. He said it would be fine if he went as long as he was with Cory, wasn't drinking and rode with the Matthew's to and from the party.

The end of the day finally approached and Shawn and Cory met up at their lockers. They grabbed the books they needed and headed out of the building. As he and Cory walked down the front steps of the school they discussed Shawn's plan to hook up with Veronica as they scanned the parking lot for the Matthew's mini-van. Shawn looked for a minute and didn't see any sign of the Mr. Matthew's but suddenly locked eyes with a familiar face. A terrifying face. The face of his father. He was standing about 10 yards away and approaching up the stairs quickly. Shawn's heart was racing and his legs stopped working. He suddenly understood the saying "deer in the headlights" as that's what he became. He couldn't move. He couldn't formulate any words. All he could do was stand there in fear. "Shawn, your dad!" Cory exclaimed. Chet approached and began "Shawn, come on, we're leaving. You're coming back to the trailer with me." He commanded. Shawn shook at the sound of his deep authoritarian voice. "I've been worried sick about you and you need to come home with me where you belong." Shawn didn't answer. He could feel his heart beating in his throat and his stomach was doing flip flops. Chet grabbed Shawn by his bad arm and tried to pull him along.

Just before they reached the bottom of the stairs, Mr. Turner's voice rang out strong from a distance behind him, "Shawn!" Mr. Turner darted down the stairs and reached him quickly. He grabbed Shawn by the shoulders and spun him around to face him. "Get inside and wait for me to come get you." Jon commanded. Shawn obeyed and bolted inside. Cory ran after him.

Jon turned towards Chet with a ferocious look in his eye. "So that's how you treat your son, huh? You beat on a 15 year old because it makes you feel powerful? Get the hell off of this property before the cops get here." Jon spat. "Now teach, I'm not here to cause any trouble, I'm just here for my boy," Chet replied. "I'm not playing with you," Jon continued, "The cops have already been called. They're on their way, and I happen to know for a fact that there's a big fat warrant out for your arrest." Chet postured towards Jon for a moment and Jon wondered if he was going to try to take a swing at him. Just then, in the distance, the sirens started to ring through the air. Chet's face dropped as he threatened, "This isn't over Turner." and then turned to run off. Jon considered chasing after him and holding him until the cops arrived, but he was more concerned about where Shawn was at and how he was doing with all of this. Besides, he thought to himself, the cops should have no trouble finding him if he's in the vicinity.

With that, Jon darted back up the stairs and into the school. He found Cory at the door and asked him between labored breaths, "Where's Shawn?" "I don't know," Cory replied, "He bolted down the hall and I couldn't find him." "Okay, I'll find him, just wait here." Jon ordered. He ran down the halls in search of a terrified Shawn. Peeking quickly into classrooms as he passed. He figured Shawn might have gone to his classroom but when he got there, he was nowhere in sight. After what felt like hours, but had only been a few minutes, Jon found him...behind the door to the boys bathroom. He was sitting on the floor and hugging his knees to his chest. He wasn't crying, once again, not a single tear, but he was hyperventilating.

Jon crouched down to his level to try and get some eye contact. "He's gone, Shawn. He's gone, ok? Try to calm down, bud. Take a deep breath for me." Shawn shuttered a bit as he labored to try and breathe. A couple seventh graders entered the bathroom loudly fooling around before they stopped to see what was going on. "Let's get you off the floor," said Jon, as he helped Shawn to his feet. "Come with me, we'll go someplace quieter." He lead Shawn to Miss Collins' guidance office, which was still unlocked but empty. Shawn pressed the palms of his hands over his eyes and leaned his forehead against the wall while he tried to catch his breath. "That's it. You're gonna be okay, Shawn. We're gonna be okay. You're not going anywhere. He's not taking you. Just breathe, kiddo." Jon rubbed Shawn's back for a few minutes coached him back to normal breathing. Once everything was back to normal Shawn sat on the couch and Jon sat on the top of Ms. Collins' desk. "You scared me." Jon said. "What do you wanna do, want to head home?" Turner asked.

Shawn started walking out of the office. "Hey, where are you going?" Jon called after him. "Veronica's party...I told you." he answered. Jon was stunned at the kid's ability to compartmentalize his life. He knew it was a coping mechanism and he was pretty sure it was an unhealthy one. "Shawn, I don't think it's a good idea. Your dad is out there, they may not have caught up to him yet. It's been a long day. I think it's better if you just come home." he said. "Jon, I'm GOING to the party. I'll be fine, I'm with Cory. Everyone's going. I'm not going to play the victim here." Shawn said seriously before running off to find Cory. "Shawn!" Jon called, before he watched him disappear from view. Jon sighed. He didn't want to put the kid in his own personal prison but he was worried. He was still pretty new at the whole parenting thing. _This is dumb, Jon_ , he thought to himself, _Go get him_. He stopped himself, _He'll be so embarrassed. I'll just call Veronica's parents and make sure he gets there okay. Ugh. No, that is so uncool_ , he wrestled with himself. _Just go home, Jon. Relax._ _Let him be normal for a few hours. Matthews is with him and Alan is driving them. They're fine._


End file.
